1. Technical Field
This invention relates in general to hospital equipment and, more particularly, to an operating table.
2. Description of the Related Art
Throughout a surgical procedure, there may be a need to switch a patient between supine and prone positions (and vice versa) on an operating table. The rotation of the patient wastes a considerable amount of time on behalf of the surgeon and his team, as well as medical facility staff who are involved in assembling and utilizing the in-house turn team needed to transfer the position of any given patient from the initial supine position to the desired prone position. At the end of the surgical procedure, the patient must be returned to the supine position for transport from the surgical area to the recovery area.
With existing equipment, there is recurring impending risk of injury to various members of the turn team and to the patient, especially obese patients—an issue which is increasing annually in the United States and in most developed countries. Standard operating bed platforms are too narrow to accommodate obese patients, and many bed platforms are not manufactured with a sturdy base that remains stable enough to hold very obese patients during the “turning process”.
The number of personnel needed in the operating room to accomplish the patient rotation increases the constant threat of patient contamination and, further, potentially compromises the sterilization of onsite instrumentation. The invasive presence of multiple people breathing heavily and possibly coughing from straining while manipulating the patient creates a scenario for increased airborne microorganism contamination/infection.
Therefore, a need has arisen for an operating table that would decrease the number of individuals needed in the operating room while safely and effectively rotating a patient.